Hosted by: The Centre for Contemporary Fiction and Narration in the =English Department of The University of Northampton, and the editors of =the Journal of Postcolonial Writing in association with the publishers, =Taylor and Francis, and the UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies.=20REROUTING THE POSTCOLONIAL

This two day conference marks the relaunch last year of the journal =World Literature Written in English as the Journal of Postcolonial =Studies. It will explore the rerouting and transformation of the field =of postcolonial studies in response to new theories, texts and research =questions, as well as the contemporary world situation.We live today in an increasingly mobile world of global forces, =accelerated flows of migration, exile and transnational movement which, =according to Homi Bhabha, cause those 'genealogies of origin that lead =to the claim for cultural supremacy and historical priority' to be =contested. Diaspora theory draws attention to the fact that the paths =or ROUTES open to people through increased migration, dislocation and =relocation, even the temporary inhabiting of new spaces offered by =cosmopolitan travel and tourism, contribute to a critique of ROOTS, of =fixed origins and traditional identificatory structures such as family, =society and nation.This conference uses the roots/routes metaphor as a springboard for ='REROUTING' the postcolonial, i.e. the early 21st century amplification =and redirection of the discipline in order to encompass and address such =tensions and their discursive fields of enquiry. Global capitalism, for =example, which redefines culture as both production and commodification, = helps reroute the debate on eco-environmental issues through a new =model of geopolitics. Postcolonial terminology and theory has already =acquired the high ground when it comes to discourses on globalization, =suggesting that postcolonialism can reshape itself to incorporate =paradigm shifts and new theories. Symptomatic of such diversification is =the second edition of The Postcolonial Studies Reader (eds. Ashcroft, =Griffiths, and Tiffin), published more than ten years after the first, =displaying a separate section on Race, and new sections on Diaspora, =Globalization, the Environment, and the Sacred.Some questions underpinning this conference are:What REROUTINGS of the postcolonial occur due to accelerated movements =of peoples, the theorizing of diaspora, transformed modes of production =through the impact of global technologies, new paradigms such as the =glocal, the reshaping of culture by globalization?What is the effect of the current shift away from resistant and counter =discourses and the politics of liberation and representation?How is 'writing' the postcolonial, in areas such as pedagogy, genre and =the canon, aesthetic and textual practices, changing in response to =these developments? =20Some indicative topics are:

* the third world cosmopolitan versus/complementing theories of the =indigenous

* diasporic theory and the transformation of existing postcolonial =paradigms

* revisiting empire in an age of transnational migration

* new itineraries and iterations of modernity and post-modernity

* migration, exile and changing identities

* global travel, tourism and new geographies

* interrogations of the aesthetics of resistance

* cultural representations and reimaginings of social transformation

* the environment and eco-critical perspectives

* the postcolonial sacred and/or profane

* new and old spoken/written/visual media in a global age

* changing modes and practices in 'writing' and teaching the =postcolonial

Abstracts: 200-300 words by Friday 2 March 2007 (03/02/07) to =Janet.Wilson_at_northampton.ac.uk and Fiona.Tolan_at_northampton.ac.uk.Please put 'Rerouting the Postcolonial' in the subject line of the email =as abstracts will be sorted automatically. Early notification of =acceptance may be requested if required for international speakers.Conference Publication: Selected papers will be considered for =publication in the conference proceedings.

Payment: Send cheques (sterling only) or international money orders of =equivalent amount payable to The University of Northampton.Please send to Chris Woolmore, School of the Arts, The University of =Northampton, Avenue Campus, St George's Avenue, Northampton, NN2 6JD.N.B. The cost of accommodation, entertainments and dinners will be =additional.=20Contacts:

After discussion with the UK English Subject Centre whose conference ==91Renewals: Refiguring University English in the 21st Century=92 will =follow =91Rerouting the Postcolonial=92 and will be held at Royal =Holloway, University of London, from 5-7 July 2007 (07/05/07), we =include their website address: www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/renewals